This Olympic river has 500 crocodiles in it – but that's not the main concern

For context, the annual rowing regatta for schools in the Australian state of Queensland usually passes off without too much attention.

Key points

• The German rowing body's president Moritz Petri remarked athletes had additionally questioned the sustainability of holding the event some 600km (373 miles) from Brisbane.
• The 2000 Olympics venue in Sydney is ready and waiting as a backup – though that would be unconscionable for Queenslanders.
• "For our students, the Fitzroy is first and foremost their home water, " notes Phillip Moulds, headmaster of The Rockhampton Grammar School.
• Each year more than 600 of the state's most promising teenage rowers battle it out on the crocodile-inhabited Fitzroy River, in the city of Rockhampton.
• In six years' time, the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics are set to stage rowing and canoe sprint events in this particularly stretch of water.

"We've never had any media wanting to attend here, " Anthea O'Loughlin, head of Rowing Queensland, tells the BBC.

But this year is different. In six years' time, the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics are set to stage rowing and canoe sprint events in this particularly stretch of water. It has just passed a technical assessment and been endorsed as safe and fair for athletes.

While sightings of saltwater crocodiles on the river – which number around 500 and can grow to four metres (13ft) long – are not uncommon, state administration files going back more than 40 years record no attacks by the reptiles on humans.

And while influential figures at last month's World Rowing congress in Amsterdam created occasional references to "safety", the presence of the reptiles was not their chief concern.

"Fairness" is what's been raised with British Rowing's chief executive Tom Solesbury – a reference to the tidal river's natural bends and currents which plenty of in the rowing community say produce it unsuitable for elite competition.

Drew Ginn, who has won three Olympic gold medals for Australia in rowing, informed BBC Radio he had worries over potential flooding and "fairness and integrity" at the venue.

"Personally, I'm not fearful of the Australian animals but I've never had a crocodile near me, " he remarked.

"I'm sure I'd row faster, I'm sure all the athletes would row faster. That's on the list of reservations, I don't think it's the highest priority in worries but it was certainly cited particularly early on."

Meanwhile, the German rowing body's president Moritz Petri remarked athletes had additionally questioned the sustainability of holding the event some 600km (373 miles) from Brisbane.

But the "so-called impediments" obtained short shrift from the most senior politician in Queensland, state premier David Crisafulli. This person reached for less diplomatic language.

"Let's be honest, let's scratch beneath the surface and call it for what it is, " he remarked days after the Amsterdam gathering.

"It is a group of interstate and overseas elites who are trying to bully their way because they don't want to go to regional Queensland and that's not right."

Rowing chiefs contacted by the BBC before Thursday's decision declined to comment directly on Crisafulli's "elites" remarks.

But both Petri and Simon Wickham, chief executive of Rowing New Zealand, remarked their worries had nothing to do with regional or urban preference but with competitors getting fair racing.

Petri continued it was concerning what's best for their athletes who will train four years for the event, "dreaming night night of becoming an Olympic champion".

Whether it was crocs or currents that tipped the balance, ultimately it was the sport's governing body World Rowing and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that had the final say on the river's suitability.

On Thursday they approved it after a technical assessment by an engineering firm and the Games' infrastructure authority – which looked at the riverbed, competition course, river flows, water levels and probable weather conditions during the Games.

"Based on the extensive analysis undertaken, we now know that the Fitzroy River is capable of providing fair competition conditions during the period of the Games, " World Rowing president Jean-Christophe Rolland remarked.

There was additionally now "confidence" in the river for canoe sprint athletes, stated Thomas Konietzko, president of that sport's governing body, Paddle Worldwide.

Notably, the state premier was delighted. "The Fitzroy has passed with flying colours, " an upbeat Crisafulli informed parliament. "It's official. Signed, sealed and delivered."

In backing Rockhampton, the state administration ignored a 2025 report it commissioned itself. It identified the location unsuitable and concluded the best option would be to employ a course built in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Fitzroy now needs to pass a final assessment of its design, value for funds and long-term community legacy. As the decision rests with the state administration, it's unlikely to fall at this hurdle.

But a wider debate will continue over whether Rockhampton is the right place to invest heavily in rowing facilities – and whether it can accommodate the 2032 influx of visitors.

In practice, the city is surrounded by cattle producers and normally experiences its peak number of guests every three years during Beef Week. So what regarding the crocodiles?

They're not mentioned anywhere in the latest update from the IOC and World Rowing and they weren't considered in the technical assessment.

This weekend's school regatta's safety management plan does nevertheless mention the word "crocodile" 28 times. "The Fitzroy River is within recognised crocodile country, " it notes.

"Event planning must therefore assume that a crocodile sighting is feasible. No natural waterway in crocodile country can be guaranteed to be crocodile-free."

Procedures this weekend include suspending racing and competitors returning to the bank if a croc is spotted. The official signal for a sighting is the call of "crocodile, crocodile, crocodile".

Asked specifically regarding crocodiles, New Zealand's Wickham informed the BBC the primary concern was ensuring the "fairest possible course" for rowers. "We would obviously expect any course chosen to be safe for rowers, " he continued.

Meanwhile, the firm owned by Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart, Hancock Prospecting. It backed Rockhampton's bid and has pumped millions into sports including rowing, pointed to "fake media" reservations concerning risks posed by flooding and crocodiles in the Fitzroy.

"The people of Rocky for many years have sent their own children to train in this river, and for competitions, without a single crocodile incident, " a spokesperson remarked in an official note.

Brisbane 2032's chief executive has remarked organisers are making contingency aims "as we would for any venue".

Meanwhile, the 2000 Olympics venue in Sydney is ready and waiting as a backup – though that would be unconscionable for Queenslanders.

For the school-age rowers at this weekend's regatta, none of this debate really matters as they take to the water. Among them are potentially some contenders for the 2032 games.

"The Fitzroy has also been the starting point for many. Some of whom have gone on to compete at the highest levels of the sport nationally and internationally."

In short, this Olympic river has 500 crocodiles in it – but that' s not is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.